Fight or Flight » JW / Avengers

chapter eleven

[ chapter eleven ; ]

After a short conversation between Wanda and Barry--

"I'm Wanda."

"Barry. So you've managed to catch Owen's attention."

"Or maybe he's managed to catch mine."

"Either way . . . you're riding with me?"

"I am."

"Great. Makes me feel about a million times better about the entire thing, if we're being honest."

--they were riding together, through the jungle, after Owen and before a legion of InGen army-men. Wanda couldn't say she was a huge fan of the situation, but between monitoring the raptors thoughts and Owen's, she was too preoccupied to voice said displeasures.

When Owen signaled that they should slow, her attentions focused in on the raptors alone. Owen, she assumed, would be just fine. The raptors were her newest intrigue. They had most certainly found the Indominus -- which Wanda couldn't say she was hyped about -- and her eyes followed their own, focusing in on the other, dangerously familiar thought process. 

Barry had climbed off the four-wheeler, and most of the other men were now among the trees, weapons out and pointed at Indominus. Wanda hadn't even noticed their moving, but that didn't stop her from climbing off the four-wheeler herself and slowly approaching the convergence.

"Something is wrong," she heard Barry say quietly.

She didn't bother crouching as the rest of them did. Her eyes were crimson, glowing in the night, and when she spoke it was but a breath. "They're communicating. Owen . . ."

"The raptor DNA," she heard him whisper, before he'd reached up and yanked her down beside him. "You shouldn't do that," he whispered in her ear.

She pushed his hand off of her, but didn't waste time shooting him an annoyed look. Her focus never drifted from the dinosaurs, even as they squawked and chirped at each other. Then all of the raptors turned toward them, and the Indominus let out a low growl in it's chest.

"Okay," Wanda whispered, "now's a good time to fire."

Which is exactly what happened. There was an explosion of gunfire, the sounds cracking in the air like fireworks, and at some point some rocket was deployed, igniting the trees, but missing Indominus by just enough for it to return to it's feet.

Meanwhile, the team had a new issue. Indominus was marching away . . . but the raptors were no longer taking commands from any human. 

Wanda knew she was possibly the only chance at changing that. "Owen!" she repeated, this time louder, and she felt his presence at her side almost instantly.

"Did you miss me saying the raptors had a new alpha?" he hissed, standing as close to her as he could as he watched the trees avidly. 

"No, I very much caught onto that," she retorted. Her eyes were still glowing a brilliant shade of red, even as screams cried out in the woods. The raptors were working effectively, lives were being lost-- she was losing time. "I need to get close to one, the beta-- Blue," she told him desperately, grabbing onto his sleeve and tugging him pointedly.

"Okay, okay," Owen said quickly, though he still didn't risk looking at her. "Blue . . . okay. I can--"

Except before he could finish, Wanda had declared, "Found her," and disappeared into the trees herself.

And in that moment, Owen Grady felt very much as though the majority of the things he cared about in the world were suddenly hanging by a very thin thread.

>>

Blue was bearing down on Barry, despite the fact that he had hidden in a log. He shouted, one last protest in frustration, "Blue!"

And then the raptor pulled back, and peered at her trainer . . . except as quickly as her intelligent eyes had focused in on the man, they turned an unreal shade of red. Barry scrambled to get out of the log despite this, and once he did, he saw red-eyed blue stepping off the log, toward Wanda, whose eyes and hands were also glowing with the same crimson color. 

"Wanda . . ." he started to say, before he heard Owen shout.

"Wanda! Wanda, what are--" but Owen cut off as he skidded to a stop beside Barry, his eyes blown wide in astonishment as he watched her.

A surge of red energy left Wanda's fingertips, and went straight for Blue's skull, and the next thing Barry and Owen knew, Blue was dashing off. Owen's attention shifted back to Wanda in a fraction of a second, though Barry watched Blue's tail swish through the air before she disappeared altogether in the trees.

"Wanda," Owen said quietly, reaching for her as her shoulders slumped and her eyes dimmed back to their normal shade of green. "Are you okay?"

She nodded quickly, holding onto his arm as he held her shoulder. "Yes, yes-- I am fine. But Owen, the Indominus . . ."

"I know, I know," he said quickly. 

Her gaze cut to him, sobriety evident even in the darkness. "She is heading toward the buildings," Wanda said. "And we need to get to Claire and the boys."

"Where are they?" Barry asked curiously as the three of them rushed back toward their vehicles. 

"I don't know," Wanda shrugged, "I am not psychic, and to cast a net so wide would be extremely draining right now. Where is the nearest--" But she caught off when they reached a clearing, and she realized Barry's four-wheeler was gone.

Barry groaned and shook his head, readjusting his hold on his weapon as he looked over to Owen and Wanda. "You two must go," he urged. "I will find some other way to evac."

Wanda looked over to Owen, expecting him to protest, but instead he gave a firm nod, and clapped Barry on the shoulder confidently. "Be safe," was all Owen said, before he grabbed Wanda's hand and tugged her toward the bike.

"I will hopefully see you soon in better circumstances!" Wanda called over her shoulder at Barry.

His chuckle hit her ears right as Owen's motorcycle roared to life. She climbed on after him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, before she heard Barry call out, "I should hope so!"

That was the last thing she heard before she and Owen went tearing off through the woods.